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The Ringer’s Bill Simmons provided an update on the NBA’s most shocking trade of the 2024-25 campaign between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
The Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis blockbuster trade is arguably the most surprising deal in league history. And while some view it as one of the worst deals the Mavericks have ever agreed to, Simmons says there’s one caveat about the deal that he recently found out was untrue.
For months, reports stated the blockbuster trade was a last-minute deal that both teams agreed to before the news broke on an early Sunday morning after midnight. However, Simmons says that wasn’t the case, per the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“So I got more intel on that trade,” Simmons said. “It was a known thing 90 minutes before the trade. It was done 90 minutes before it was actually announced, maybe even a little more than that.”
Due to the shocking names involved in the deal, no executives believed it was a real trade that was about to happen.
“But they tried to make it seem like nobody knew until the very last second. I think way more people knew, and I think it got around the league a little bit before it actually got reported,” Simmons added. “I think the consensus was there’s no way this is true because that can’t be what Dallas got for Luka; there’s no way; this can’t be true, and then it was true.
“The instant reaction is, wait, they’re trading Luka? Why didn’t they shop him? Then the second is wait, Reaves isn’t in this?
“That’s the whole trade? Then how they hid it from everybody and didn’t shop it, I guess. We’ll be talking about it forever. It’s one of the seminal moments of the 21st Century in the National Basketball Association, this stupid trade they made,” Simmons concluded.
Considering the lack of draft capital the Mavericks received in exchange for Luka Doncic, this could be one of the worst trades in NBA history, rivaling the Los Angeles Clippers’ trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
JJ Redick warns Lakers ahead of series vs. Timberwolves
Lakers head coach JJ Redick warned his team about the Timberwolves. After losing Anthony Davis from the lineup, Redick considers them a “difficult” opponent for the Lakers to draw in the opening round of the postseason, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“It’s a very difficult opponent,” Redick said. “They’ve played as well as anyone lately, and I believe they’re one of four teams in the top 10 in offense and defense. So they present a lot of problems.”
The Timberwolves ended the regular season winning eight of their last 10 games.
